Name the quarterback: Are Chargers fans able to feel sympathy for Raiders fans? That may depend on the Raiders fans they've met. Or whether the Chargers fans witnessed the Holy Roller. Or whether they recall Oakland's upset in the 1980 AFC Championship Game in San Diego, Raymond Chester going 65 yards with a pass meant for Raiders teammate Kenny King. If Chargers fans could feel sympathy, though, they’d look at Oakland’s quarterback saga and say, "There but for the grace of the football gods goes our team.” Quarterbacks are rather important to an NFL team’s fortunes. The winners employ “franchise” quarterbacks. Chronic losers, it seems, are always looking for the right quarterback. Meet the Raiders. They are 4-10; it is their 11th consecutive season to end without a winning record; in that span, 17 quarterbacks have started for them.

The new guy: Matt McGloin is the Raiders quarterback. He is used to hearing skeptics say Matt McWho? Then he makes a name for himself. After walking on at Penn State, he earned the starting job and became the school’s career leader in passing touchdowns. This year he joined the Raiders as an undrafted rookie. Then he beat out rookie Tyler Wilson, a fourth-round pick. Then he moved past Matt Flynn and Terrelle Pryor. He will make his sixth career start Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium. He is 1-4.

The other QB: Pryor was the starter to open the season. The idea was that his fast feet could offset a flimsy offensive line. Pryor, rather incredibly, has said he didn’t really learn how to throw properly until last summer, when he worked with Tom House, a San Diego-based throwing coach. It was Pryor who directed the 27-17 upset of the Chargers, on Oct. 6 in Oakland. McGloin is the better passer. But the Raiders still use Pryor, apparently to try to catch opponents off guard.

Dan Fouts says: Fouts, the former Chargers quarterback great, has seen both McGloin and Pryor. He’s not sold on either one, saying during a CBS telecast last month, “It’s clear that neither (McGloin) nor Pryor is the long-term answer.”

Rivers contrast: The Chargers are as solid at quarterback as the Raiders are liquid, and that’s been true for a long time. Philip Rivers has made 126 consecutive starts in the regular season, beginning with the 2006 opener. How many quarterbacks have started for Oakland in the Rivers Era? Thirteen. Name all 13, and you get a free Raiders eye patch. Here they are: Andrew Walter, Aaron Brooks, Josh McCown, Daunte Culpepper, JaMarcus Russell, Bruce Gradkowski, Charlie Frye, Jason Campbell, Carson Palmer, Kyle Boller, Pryor, Flynn and McGloin.

Under Rivers, the Chargers are 11-4 against Oakland.

How the Raiders won: The Chargers went into Oakland as a 5-point favorite in Game 5, and the Raiders outplayed them all around. The Raiders, who led 17-0 at halftime, looked faster and hungrier. They hit harder. For two quarters, Pryor's fakes and gliding runs seemed to mesmerize Chargers defenders. Rivers called it probably the worst game the Chargers have played this year. Antonio Gates said the Chargers were “flat.”

This time, the Chargers are a 10-point favorite. Overconfidence could be a problem if they watch film of recent Raiders games. In their last seven games, the Raiders have given up an average of 35 points.

Watch out for: Denarius Moore. A receiver who is quick and fast, he gains 22.4 yards per catch against the Chargers, with four touchdowns among his 14 receptions in the four games. The best pass-rusher, 300-pound Lamarr Houston, hit Rivers in San Diego’s first series. A few plays later, Rivers lobbed an interception that set up a touchdown. (The pass, which bugged Mike McCoy, may rank as Rivers' worst pass this year.) Rivers praised the smarts of Raiders linebackers Kevin Burnett and Nick Roach, two ex-Chargers who made big plays in the 27-17 victory. Running back Rashad Jennings, a 231-pounder who gains 4.6 yards per carry, lined up as a "wildcat" quarterback five games ago, ran over a Texans rookie safety and went 80 yards for a touchdown.